Staying Here
by Nightengale
Summary: ---pre-slash--- Nicholas's girlfriend wants him back, and keeps asking what's keeping him in Sanford. But it's hard for Nicholas to explain something he doesn't fully understand himself, yet.


"Nicholas?"

For a minute he can't say anything because he's fairly certain its Jeanine's voice and that just can't be right.

"Nicholas…" she says again, more slowly this time.

"Oh, yes, hello," he finally says still feeling a bit confused. "Um. You're calling me."

"…Yes, obviously."

Nicholas resists rolling his eyes and instead looks across the room to where Danny is bustling about the kitchen yawning like he's never slept in his life. It makes Nicholas smile and distracts him enough that he doesn't realize Jeanine is speaking again until she loudly clears her throat in his ear.

"Yes, sorry, what did you say?"

She sighs and he can see her shaking her head and glaring. He almost laughs.

"I wanted to talk to you Nicholas," She says.

"You do know it's only half past seven?"

"Yes, well," her long suffering tone of voice coming in. "I wanted to catch you before you went to work."

"Ah," he can hear an age old argument between them and doesn't bother rising to the bait, it's just too early.

"Who's that then?" Danny shouts from the kitchen, half a doughnut in his teeth.

Nicholas puts his hand over the mouth piece and mouths 'Ex!' at Danny. Danny purses his lips into an 'O' shape and makes a rude gesture. Nicholas snorts and turns back to the phone.

"What did you want to talk to me about then, Jeanine?"

"Well… the thing is… Dave and I split and… well," suddenly she sounds more hesitant. "I… Oh, bollocks, I miss you Nicholas."

He just blinks. "Sorry?"

"I miss you," she enunciates slowly as if to a child then softens. "And well… I… well. We've had enough of a break haven't we?"

Nicholas snorts again. "I think the 'on a break' thing went off when you started seeing someone else."

She sighs again. "Please, Nicholas, don't be difficult. I'm saying I want you back."

"Oh… well… I can see that…"

"You're not seeing someone else, are you?"

"Well no… not… no…" Nicholas looks at the kitchen, Danny fighting with the coffee maker, and feels a lurch in his stomach. No, he's not seeing someone… not exactly… but he also kind of is.

"No?" he hears hope in her voice. "Well then Nicholas, why don't you come back?"

"To London?"

"Yes to London! And to me!"

"I can't, Jeanine, work here is-"

"Of course!" she snaps. "It has to be work."

"Jeanine, I'm the chief of poli-"

"You know they would give you a high position if you came back to London too, and damn it maybe I'm more important!" she huffs in a petulant manner. "Why do you care so much about this tiny village out in the country?"

"Well, I uh… I like it here."

Suddenly, she gasps loudly and Nicholas nearly drops the phone, catching it with his other hand in surprise. Danny looks over at him, finally having gotten the coffee maker to work, and gives him a questioning look. Nicholas smiles awkwardly and turns his back on the kitchen, hissing into the phone.

"Jeanine, maybe us breaking-"

"It is someone else!" She snaps before he can continue. "There's someone else! It's not work. Oh my god, it's not work!"

"You sound so surprised," he replies sardonically.

The other end of the phone is silent and honestly he has to give her that one. Nicholas huffs.

"All right, yes, it is someone else!" He whispers fervently.

He can practically hear her mulling this over in her head and kind of wants to throw the phone against the wall. What the hell is he going to tell her? My new best friend is more important than you? My co-worker, subordinate, best friend, _maybe more_ is why I am staying? Danny is more important than you ever were, Jeanine? He doesn't even know exactly what it is, why it is. He doesn't know where this came from, where this need for Danny in his life came from. He doesn't understand the feeling, why he has it, what is really going on between them but its there. So, how the bloody hell can he explain that to her if he doesn't even really know?

"You said you weren't seeing anyone," Jeanine says suddenly breaking into Nicholas thoughts.

"I'm not."

"Well it has been a year I should have…. Wait what? You're not? You're really not? You weren't lying before?"

"Uh, correct."

She pauses. "So let me get this straight. You're staying for someone you're not even seeing yet?"

Nicholas groans quietly, putting a hand over his eyes. "Yes."

She scoffs, sounding miffed. "She must be something then."

Nicholas groans even more. "It's not… I'm not seeing…. Not exactly, but we're… I mean… Argh!" He bites the phone, kicks the chair then puts it back to his ear and speaks slowly and calmly. "It's complicated."

"Nicholas…?" Danny is looking at him like he's insane, two mugs of coffee held up in his hands.

"What do you mean?" Jeanine says in his ear, clearly not able to let this go. "What is she then? Seeing someone else? Married?"

"Married? No!" Nicholas snaps

"You're getting married?" Danny says, walking over to where Nicholas stands, eyes going wide and looking distressed.

"She doesn't like you then?" Jeanine says.

"No!" Nick says to Danny, waving a hand.

"So, that's it," Jeanine says sounding slightly smug.

"No, no that's not it!"

"Wait, what?" Danny says.

"She does like you?" Jeanine says.

"Stop it!" Nicholas shouts.

The room falls silent. Nicholas tires to breathe slowly, still wanting to throw the phone at the wall. He looks at Danny and tries to look apologetic; it's hardly his fault. It's just not something he can put into words. Danny is just more important than anyone, anyone at all.

Danny takes a sip of one of the mugs of coffee looking nonchalant and Nicholas looks away feeling warm inside.

"So…" Jeanine begins again interrupting Nicholas' thoughts. "She does like you and she's not married."

Nicholas sighs. "Look, Jeanine. I'm not coming back to London; you and I are over; I'm staying here."

"Nicholas," she insists. "If you're not with her even though she likes you, what is it?"

"How is this any of your-"

"Tell me!" she snaps.

Nicholas looks up and locks eyes with Danny. He can't help but smile and Danny grins back at him.

"We're working on it," Nicholas says still looking at Danny. "It's sort of a strange situation."

"She's there, isn't she," Jeanine says a tone of sudden understanding coming over her voice.

"Yes, he is," Nicholas says.

"He!?" She squeaks.

"I've got to go," Nicholas replies and clicks off the phone.

They look at each other. All at once Nicholas realizes where they are. They're there together, both unsure about what it really is but happy they're there together. It's a rare moment of sensitivity between them and Nicholas feels like he should just say it now, just say something sweet like 'you're the one for me' but even in his head it sounds like shite. They both smile somewhat shyly then Danny breaks the spell, handing one mug of coffee to Nicholas.

"Bad call?" Danny says and Nicholas just laughs.

"Not really."

Then they are both laughing and stepping back to the kitchen. It's calm and easy and the kind of feeling one wants to have every day. Danny points up at the clock.

"Time to bust out," Danny says picking up his hat.

Nicholas nods, handing Danny his aviators. "Rock and roll."

Each takes a quick gulp of their coffee, curse at the burn, then turn to the door. Its strange and Nicholas is not quite sure where they are yet, Danny staying most nights at his place, movies he 'needs to see' till one in the morning, falling asleep beside each other on the couch, hands touching more often than ever. It's all a bit of a jumble but Nicholas is as sure as anything that he doesn't want it to stop. Also, there's no way in hell he's going back to London, not when he has all he needs right here.


End file.
